Chapter 331: Little Ten Saves His Mother 50

In the darkness, small boats drifted, and numerous underworld officers stood on them, each holding a lamp.

There was no sky or earth here, nor any river—nothing to cling to. It was as if a huge chunk of the Immortal Capital had been swallowed by blackness.

This Heavenly Street leading to the Primordial Palace at the end was the only foothold. All soul forms that arrived here, if they left the Heavenly Street, would fall endlessly into the darkness, as if plunging into a nightmare.

Yet the underworld officers’ boats could float on that darkness.

The Children’s Heavenly Aperture Lamps in the hands of the underworld officers flared to life!

Chen Shi roared, the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler in his hand already levitating, the Heavenly Cycle Fire Domain roaring around the seemingly ordinary iron rod, a fire domain spanning dozens of acres, activated by it!

He poured nearly all his cultivation into the Heavenly Cycle Fire Domain.

“Big! Big! Big! Big!”

“Boom!”

The instant the Children’s Heavenly Aperture Lamps held by dozens of underworld officers flared, a black iron giant pillar suddenly swelled, spanning the darkness. Thunder roared as it poured down, as if a sea of lightning had formed in the darkness on both sides of the Heavenly Street.

“Black Pot!”

At Chen Shi’s shout, Black Pot’s body swelled even larger, pressing its head against the extraordinarily thick black iron pillar and charging along the Heavenly Street!

Its strength was limitless, and it ran faster and faster, pushing the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler in a mad dash. Thud after thud came from the darkness on both sides, as underworld officers were slammed into by the iron pillar, crushed and ground forward!

Lightning struck those officers; the iron ruler struck them so that streams of yin-fire spewed from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses!

Chen Shi sprinted desperately beneath Black Pot, charging down the bridge-like Heavenly Street toward the Primordial Palace at the far end!

“Criminal Chen Shi, do you think this is the Immortal Capital?”

Suddenly a voice came from behind them. “Wrong. This is the great jail the Righteous and Incorruptible Official designed just for you! The last time you were captured, you were imprisoned here too!”

Chen Shi’s heart jolted at the voice. “I was suppressed by the Righteous and Incorruptible Official? Could it be our relationship isn’t that good?”

He had no time to think and kept running, his speed increasing.

The voice came from the Primordial Palace of the Young Master Wei Yue. At this moment in that Primordial Palace, the Fire Judge towered a thousand zhang tall, his body wreathed in roaring flames as he stared into the darkness behind the palace.

On the Fire Judge’s shoulder stood a Red-Haired Ghost. The Young Master Wei Yue stood in front of the Red-Haired Ghost, watching the scene from a distance.

The surrounding darkness was the Immortal Capital, but the darkness only grew larger and boundless, while the Heavenly Street piercing that darkness looked like a bridge stretching across thousands of li.

Black Pot’s mountain-sized body and the hundred-li-long Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler no longer seemed so towering.

The Young Master Wei Yue’s gaze fell on the iron ruler, and he asked, tilting his head, “That iron pillar—could it be that prehistoric relic from Western Capital?”

The Fire Judge stared and nodded slightly, showing surprise. “Indeed it’s that treasure. But I heard it was reserved by the disciples of Despair Slope. The major great clans would not accept it. How did it fall into Chen Shi’s hands?”

Wei Yue frowned in puzzlement and smiled, “Chen Shi certainly isn’t one of Despair Slope. Since it ended up with him, take it from him. The Despair Slope boys won’t be brazen enough to demand it back. This treasure will belong to my Yan Family.”

In the darkness, Horse-Face and Ox-Head underworld officers staggered, revealing their true forms, six to seven hundred zhang tall, fiercely resisting the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler.

Beneath their feet, each small boat swelled into long wooden vessels two to three li in length.

Those wooden boats were carved from single trees. When they were small earlier, details couldn’t be seen. Now their true forms appeared, their cross-sections resembling ghost faces floating in the dark.

When a boat moved forward, the ghost face inhaled deeply; when it retreated, the face exhaled. When it strained, the face contorted in a grimace of effort.

Over forty underworld officers pushed together; Black Pot rammed them forward nearly a hundred li, finally stopping the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler.

Chen Shi shifted his mind slightly, the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler whooshing and shrinking so he could grab it. He kept running with all his might.

Under his feet the Heavenly Street widened unimaginably; he ran along it like a tiny ant!

“Swoosh—”

Those six- to seven-hundred zhang-tall ghost gods each activated their Children’s Heavenly Aperture Lamps; thick beams of light surged from all directions toward him!

Thunderous roars came from every side.

“Criminal Chen Shi, surrender!”

These lights specifically targeted divine souls. Once fixed by the beams, no matter how stable one’s Primordial Spirit was, the light could force a physical manifestation out, leaving it at the mercy of others!

Black Pot thundered on, roaring. Demonic aura rolled over its body and demonic flames leapt to block the light of the Children’s Heavenly Aperture Lamps.

Still, many light pillars broke through the demonic aura and shone through. Black Pot leapt along the Heavenly Street, using its body to shield Chen Shi from the beams.

Each time a beam struck it, its body convulsed violently; its demonic soul and flesh shook uncontrollably.

Its soul was destabilized and nearly separated from its body multiple times.

The pain of ripping soul from body was excruciating; each hit twisted its face and produced an earth-shattering howl.

But Black Pot still leapt and lunged, blocking beam after beam.

Its demonic soul was too powerful; when hit the soul only wavered briefly before snapping back into the body. Even the underworld officers’ power could not fully tear its soul out.

One wooden boat after another approached, underworld officers hanging the Children’s Heavenly Aperture Lamps on their bows and grabbing weapons—some steel forks, some double hooks, some long spears—preparing to close in and fight to the death.

Suddenly, three little demons carrying buckets dashed in from a diagonal. These three were tiny—only about two chi tall—but immensely strong. One ox-headed little demon leaped and with a single kick sent a six-hundred-plus-zhang Horse-Face officer flying into the darkness.

Another little yaksha met another ox-headed officer’s trident-like weapon and punched it; the colossal divine weapon flew backward and vanished with a whoosh, and the ox-headed officer was shaken back.

The Horse-Face little demon swung another yaksha officer hard and smashed it down, then pounced on yet another officer.

The three little demons jumped among the boats; against so many officers, they often needed only one move to finish a foe. Those officers who left their boats could not hold their footing in the darkness—like drowning people they struggled, but still kept falling!

Boats from eight directions converged; officers on board waved divine weapons toward the three little demons.

More boats sailed into the blackness; these carried the underworld marshals and officers under Judge Wei Ling’s command, charging at the three little demons and Black Pot.

“Soul Pursuit, Sin-Karma, Mountain of Blades—we’ve awaited you!”

From Wei Yue’s Primordial Palace, the Fire and Earth Judges both leapt up and charged at the three little demons.

The Red-Haired Ghost carried the Young Master Wei Yue from the Fire Judge’s shoulder, landing on the sky bridge, watching the battle.

Pressure surged on the three bucket-carrying little demons; each revealed a Golden Body, transforming into thousand-zhang giant deities, massive and towering as they fought.

Many more underworld officers surged onto the sky bridge, attacking Black Pot from front and sides!

Black Pot lunged left and right, tearing and biting; sometimes it stamped through demonic fire into the darkness to fight towering ghost gods hundreds of zhang tall, sometimes it charged onto the sky bridge, slamming officers who threatened Chen Shi!

“The Righteous and Incorruptible Official is clever—he designed this solo path specifically for Chen Shi.”

Watching the fight, the Young Master Wei Yue’s eyes flickered as he smiled. “If it were me, I might not be able to take Chen Shi. The Righteous and Incorruptible Official set this trap like a beast-catching snare, letting him willingly enter the cage.”

As he spoke, a black light screamed along the sky bridge and in an instant arrived tens of li before them.

The Heavenly Cycle Fire Domain roared around that black light!

“The Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler?”

Wei Yue’s eyes shone; he smiled. “Chen Shi, you found me?”

The iron ruler whooshed and swelled, arriving before him in an instant.

Wei Yue stood with hands behind his back, motionless, neither retreating nor blocking.

The Red-Haired Ghost blocked in front of him, suddenly roaring to the sky. Its body grew larger and larger, becoming a thousand-zhang ghost god with monstrous muscles, and pushed forward with both hands!

The iron ruler arrived in the blink of an eye, its head already as thick as a lis!

The Red-Haired Ghost sprang up and leapt in front of Wei Yue.

Wei Yue’s smile had barely faded when the whooshing iron ruler slammed into him!

He showed shock in his eyes and in that brief instant felt what betrayal and an insanely domineering strike meant!

The iron ruler pinned his body. Wei Yue heard the crackling of bones shattering. Behind him was his Primordial Palace!

This impact was severe enough to shatter his body!

Wei Yue gritted his teeth and forced his Primordial Spirit to act. In the moment his spirit fused with his body, his body began to swell crazily, growing larger and larger!

“Boom!”

His body struck the Primordial Palace behind him; blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth; his injuries were grave.

The Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler rapidly shrank, becoming a black iron club three zhang eight chi long, and shot through the air.

Wei Yue spat blood, kneeled, and forced himself to lift his head. He saw the Red-Haired Ghost leaping like lightning toward Chen Shi; it smashed aside every underworld officer in its path!

Wei Yue was stunned, angry, sad, and bewildered. “Chiyan, why did you betray me?”

This Red-Haired Ghost had always followed him, loyal to his side. He had named it Chiyan; it had accompanied him through countless life-and-death moments. Wei Yue had expected Chiyan to block the iron ruler for him. He couldn’t have imagined Chiyan would flee and join the enemy to help Chen Shi!

The Red-Haired Ghost charged along the sky bridge, soon catching up to Chen Shi and Black Pot to escort them forward!

Chen Shi saw the Red-Haired Ghost and was stunned, exclaiming, “Miss—it's you?”

The Red-Haired Ghost flipped up, kicking an underworld officer aside and landing steadily on the bridge. “It’s me!”

Chen Shi was still gobsmacked. “How did the Temporary Abode attach to the Red-Haired Ghost?”

The Red-Haired Ghost protested, “I don’t know why either. I arrived confused and disoriented onto him. When this fellow saw me manifest, he was even more surprised than I was.”

Chen Shi could hardly believe it.

The Red-Haired Ghost was clearly stronger than the Boat Girl, yet the Boat Girl had taken possession of it; its Primordial Spirit had been shoved aside. This meant Granny Sha’s Temporary Abode technique wasn’t merely a possession art; it was also an offensive skill!

“Granny Sha initially intended only to create a temporary taking-over technique. She was careless when she developed it—after all, it still works. Unexpectedly, this accidental method can be used as a way for the weak to overcome the strong!”

With the Red-Haired Ghost’s aid and Black Pot covering on both sides, Chen Shi’s speed surged. They closed to just about a hundred li from that Primordial Palace!

“Wake the Huo Dog!”

Wei Yue shouted sharply. “Quickly, awaken the Huo Dog! Let it deal with them!”

Several underworld officers sped their wooden boats toward the hulking being in the darkness.

That immense creature was wrapped in enormous chains, bound to the Primordial Palace, sleeping, its forehead plastered with a giant talisman shining golden.

It was a sleeping giant dog, exuding a crushing aura. So massive a dog could be called a gargantuan hound.

Even the underworld officers trembled when they approached it.

The Red-Haired Ghost sprang up and landed on a wooden boat, knocking the officers off it, then charged at the monstrous being.

But some officers had already reached the Huo Dog’s forehead. The Red-Haired Ghost cursed inwardly.

One officer hurried to the talisman on the Huo Dog’s forehead. Suddenly a stone house appeared before him. Its door opened, and a young man stepped out—handsome like a scholar, though his hands were thickened from labor.

“You’re not too late!”

The young man smiled slightly at the approaching towering ghost gods. “Ghost gods are common, but have you ever seen a twenty-year-old at Great Ascension Realm?”

The officer stepped forward to stomp the young man, but the closer he got, the larger the young man became. By the time the officer’s foot came down, the young man was already a thousand zhang tall and the officer seemed tiny!

The young man flicked his sleeve and sent the officer flying.

Other officers swarmed from all directions. The young man inhaled deeply; a Realm of Emptiness like a waning moon appeared behind him and fused with his body.

He had achieved a fusion of body, Primordial Spirit, and the Realm of Emptiness, refining his emptiness realm down to a single arc of light!

He stood atop the Huo Dog’s head, facing the incoming underworld officers. His moves were bold, sweeping, and decisive—no opening for the enemy. A Yan Family underworld marshal charged, transforming into a thousand-zhang Primordial Spirit with a shining Golden Body, incense swirling as he shouted and activated the Supreme Sun Moon Primordial Chaos Sutra. Three rotating sun-and-moon discs whirled around him as he pushed forward.

The Supreme Sun Moon Primordial Chaos Sutra is one of the Ten Books of Cultivation, a technique that reaches Great Ascension; it ranks directly below Immortal Techniques.

This Yan Family marshal had cultivated that sutra in life up to Great Ascension. Though he lacked a body now, he had refined a ghost god’s Golden Body in the underworld over the years and was formidable.

When the two collided, the Yan marshal groaned and was sent flying from the Huo Dog’s head!

Chen Shi strained forward, seeing this, both surprised and elated. He called out loudly, “Grandpa Du?”

The young man laughed heartily, his voice full and clear: “Little Ten, you’re calling me old! From now on, call me Uncle Du!”

Chen Shi’s spirits soared and he complied instantly. “Okay, Uncle Du!”

Black Pot shielded him and broke through the encirclement, reaching the Primordial Palace.

Chen Shi took out the restriction talisman given by Mistress Lingsu, hung it on the palace gate, and pushed the door open; the gate complied and swung wide.

Chen Shi stepped into the Primordial Palace.

“Mother, I’ve come to save you!”